


won't you hear my mind, i say it all the time

by boyfriem



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sun & Moon | Pokemon Sun & Moon Versions
Genre: Fluff, Fluff without Plot, M/M, but life just fuckin does that to us sometimes...., did i PLAN to still be writing pokemon anime fanfic at the ripe old age of 16? HELL NO!, sometimes we write dumb things! sometimes we write just absolutely stupid things!!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-08
Updated: 2019-04-08
Packaged: 2020-01-07 00:59:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,568
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18399902
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/boyfriem/pseuds/boyfriem
Summary: "You don’t get views like this in Pallet town. This is what’s always pulled him away from home. His house, his town, even Kanto itself, is so small. What’s the point of life if he doesn’t see every part of the world that he can?"aka i wrote a not-necessarily-romantic fic about ash and gladion sitting on a porch together because it just be like that sometimes





	won't you hear my mind, i say it all the time

**Author's Note:**

> oh my god i actually wrote pokemon anime fanfic my 11 year old self is QUAKING   
> ...at least no one has a gun this time 
> 
> no proofreading, no editing, you will take 1500 words of pokemon fanfic i wrote in one sitting while i was supposed to be sleeping and you will LIKE IT 
> 
> also the title is from mantra by boyo bc i've been listening to it a lot lately

The only time the relentless Alolan heat lets up is at night, and even then it’s not by much. Kukui’s house is always hot -- he doesn’t believe in air conditioning, so the place is constantly sweltering, like a black car in the middle of the summer even with all the windows open. Ash isn’t used to it. If he was in Kanto right now it would be midwinter, and though it’s never cold enough to snow where his mom lives, he would be bundled up against the cold every time he went outside, huddling close to Pikachu for warmth, and sleeping under as many blankets as he could find. But here, every morning he wakes up covered in sweat, already exhausted though the day’s only just begun. 

He’s gotten used to it. Or, well, he’s  _ getting  _ used to it. Traveling with Misty forced him to get accustomed to the beach, all the sand and sticky, salty air, but he’d never had to  _ live  _ next to one. 

Not that he doesn’t like it! He loves Alola, loves all the new pokemon and his cool new friends and the ocean and the professor’s house, he loves everything about it. It’s one of his favorite regions by far (not his absolute favorite, though, that’ll always be Kanto -- nothing can compete with home, after all). 

But some nights, when he can’t sleep, it’s nice to get outside for a while, take in the sight of the silent, empty beach, breathe in air that doesn’t press down on him like an electric blanket in a sauna, and just relax. 

Last time he was in Kanto, he’d taken a trip to Pewter to visit Brock. He’s watched him defeat a couple of gym challengers and reminisced on the time they spent together, and he’d told Brock about everything he’d gotten up to in Alola, sparing no detail. And Brock had seemed almost sad while he listened, and then he said, “There’s never a moment’s rest with you, huh?” 

And Ash supposes it’s true. He can’t remember the last time he spent more than a week without plunging himself into some crazy adventure, but it’s kinda just what he  _ does  _ at this point. 

His mom worries, he knows this, but he never expected his friends to worry too. Especially not  _ Brock _ , not after everything they’ve been through together. They traveled the world together, didn’t they, and just because he’s decided to settle down and take care of his siblings doesn’t mean Ash has to do the same. 

Still, maybe they’re right. Maybe he could use a break. Alola was supposed to  _ be  _ that break, a sleepy little beach vacation, but after everything that’s happened since he got here… it’s shaping up to be a lot more than he’d expected it would. 

So now his breaks are nights like these, sitting on the porch of Kukui’s house and looking up at the stars, everything silent save for the waves breaking against the shoreline. He has to admit, you don’t get views like this in Pallet town. This is what’s always pulled him away from home. His house, his town, even Kanto itself, is so  _ small.  _ What’s the point of life if he doesn’t see every part of the world that he can? 

Even if his Alolan is atrocious, even if he’s all but given up on becoming Pokemon Master for the time being, this is better than never leaving his bubble. 

“It’s beautiful, huh?” 

Ash jumps, startled by the appearance of Gladion of all people, who leans against the porch railing and gives him a look less haughty than his normal one. He looks at lot… softer than usual. More like Lily. Less angry, Ash guesses, though it’s been a while since Gladion was actually angry at him. But he always has that look about him, all smug annoyance and pent up rage. 

Maybe it’s the fact that he’s not wearing his usual outfit, and the hoodie and shorts he’s chosen are much less ferocious than his standard clothes, or maybe it’s because his hair is messier and his cheeks pinker than usual -- he looks more  _ alive  _ than he has before -- or maybe it’s just his eyes, less steely and terrifying than they are most of the time. 

The anger in them is still there tonight, but less of it. It’s unusual, but Ash isn’t complaining. 

“What are you doing here?” he asks. 

Gladion shrugs. “I wanted to go for a walk.” 

“From…” Ash tries to puzzle it out in his head. Gladion and Lily’s house is  _ miles  _ away, too far to walk from. Why would he come all this way? 

“Yep,” Gladion answers the unspoken question. “I just had to get out of that house. Mind if I sit down?” 

“Oh, yeah, go ahead!” Ash scoots over to make room on the couch, and Gladion deftly pulls himself over the railing and slides down next to him, leaving as much space as he can between the two of them. Even this softer Night Gladion doesn’t like physical contact, apparently, though the way he scrunches up against the side of the couch to avoid touching Ash is a bit… much. 

“What are  _ you  _ doing up at this hour?” Gladion asks. This might be the first time he’s worked to continue a conversation with Ash (arguments don’t count), which is surprising to say the least. Ash is used to doing all the work for both of them, carrying conversations on his back despite Gladion’s disinterest. But he’s more than happy to answer any question posed to him.

“I had a nightmare,” he answers because if Gladion is gonna be open tonight, he might as well be too. (Admittedly emotionally available Gladion isn’t very emotionally available at  _ all _ , but he’s upping the stakes, at any rate, so Ash might as well follow suit.) 

Gladion tilts his head to the side. If it wasn’t  _ him _ , Ash might mistake the expression for genuine interest. “What about?” 

It was the Mewtew one again, the worst of them all. But how does he even begin to describe it? It’s already hazy in his mind, a memory best forgotten mixed with that cloudy unreality of dreams, and to someone who isn’t him, it would be absolutely absurd to explain, anyways. 

_ So it all started when I met Pokemon god. Well, not  _ God  _ God, but  _ a  _ god. There are a few of them.  _

“Sorry,” Gladion says sheepishly --  _ sheepishly _ ? That’s not part of his limited range of two emotions -- making Ash realize he’s taken too long to answer. “I shouldn’t have asked.” 

“No, it’s fine,” Ash assures him quickly. “It’s just, uh, kinda hard to explain.” 

“Mmm,” Gladion nods, “I get it.” 

“Um,” Ash realizes as soon as he opens his mouth to speak that he has no idea what he’s gonna say, but it’s too late, Gladion is already looking at him expectantly, so he blurts out, “You seem kinda different tonight.” 

He can see Gladion tense up, his cold expression falling back into place --  _ he said the wrong thing, why did he have to phrase it like that _ -

“In a good way!” he adds hurriedly. “Not like you’re usually  _ bad  _ but, just, I mean, I just meant that-” 

Gladion puts a hand on his shoulder, which shuts him up effectively.  _ Gladion?  _ Touching  _ another person _ ? It’s unbelievable. 

Then again, no part of this conversation has lined up with what Ash tends to expect from him. 

“You don’t have to explain yourself,” he says, “I think I know what you mean. You’re kinda different, too.” 

Is it just Ash’s imagination, or does he blush a little bit as he says it? It’s hard to tell, because he ducks his head after speaking and retracts his hand from Ash’s shoulder, looking down at his knees, and doesn’t look back up even when Ash replies. 

“How?” 

Gladion shrugs. “You’re not so…  _ much _ . You’re, like, a person.” 

“I’m always a person.” Ash is confused. What’s  _ that  _ supposed to mean. What is he, if not a person? 

“No, just like, you’re so  _ bright  _ all the time. And right now you’re not and it’s just… easier to be around you. Like you’re not putting on a performance like you usually are.” 

Does he put on a performance? Sure, he’s cheerful even when things get rough, and he tries to keep everyone’s spirits up as much as he can, but that’s just the kind of person he  _ is _ . Even though it wasn’t always, he doesn’t think. 

Back in Kanto, Johto, it was… well, it was different. Things were simpler then. Life was easier when all he was focused on was becoming a Pokemon Master with his two best friends beside him.

And everything is so different here. He wants to love it, he  _ does  _ love it, but he misses home sometimes. Like right now, although he has to admit, he doesn’t feel as homesick now, with Gladion at his side. 

“Ash?” Gladion asks. He sounds almost nervous --  _ so  _ not like him. “What are you thinking? Why haven’t you said anything?” 

“...Can I hug you?” 

Gladion looks absolutely taken aback. His face flushes bright red from ear to ear and he sounds even  _ more  _ different than usual when he says, “I guess so?” 

So Ash hugs him, hugs him as real and as fierce as Misty and Brock used to hug him. 

Life’s never as lonely with a friend by your side. 

**Author's Note:**

> if you liked this fic follow me on tumblr @boyfriem or subscribe to me on here (though i can't promise i'll be posting anything pokemon related like...ever again)


End file.
